Cord-clamp.



No. 809,726. PATENTBD JAN. 9, 1906. E. NELSON.

CORD CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED 1220.42.1904.

Edward 7162' 60% Qvi-huzaouo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORD- CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed December 9, 1904. Serial No. 236,183.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and use ful Improvements in Cord-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to cord-clamps and its primary object'is to provide a novel clamp of this character which is adapted to be used to unite the free ends of a clothesline and by means of which the line may be stretched to its proper tension.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamp of the stated character which is composed of few parts so arranged and associated that the clamp may be quickly applied and manipulated and that all liability of the clamp becoming broken or inoperative is obviated.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred form of my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved clamp, illustrating the manner in which the same is to be applied to unite the free ends of a clothes-line. Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view of the body portion of the clamp. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the securing-lever of the clamp, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by referencenumerals, 1 designates a body portion which is provided with a longitudinally-arranged groove 2 for the reception of one of the ends of the clothes-line, as fully illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. One end of the clamp is provided with a loop 3, formed integrally with the side portions of the body 1, and said body is formed between its center and opposite end with flanges 3, disposed on opposite sides of the groove 2, said flanges being connected adjacent their outer ends by a transverse arch or bridge portion 4, which provides a fulcrum-point for the clamping member or lever 5. The clamping-lever is of a length equal to that of the body portion-1, and one end thereof is provided with a loop 6, similar to the loop 3 of the body portion and with which the opening therein is adapted to aline. The opposite end of the clampinglever is turned upwardly to provide a hook 7, adapted to engage under the arch portion 4 'of the body, whereby said lever is fulcrumed thereon. The heel portion 8 of the hook 7 is grooved to fit over that portion of the line adapted to occupy the groove 2. The clamping-lever is provided with a depending engaging nib 9, having its under face serrated, as fully disclosed in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The application of the clamp to a line may be described in the following manner: The free ends of the clothes-line are designated by the reference characters A and B, the end A being adapted to be positioned in the groove 2 and have its free end passed through the loop 3, as disclosed in Fig. 1 of the drawings. After the end A is thus placed the hook 7 of the clamping-lever is engaged under the arch 4, which permits said lever when pressure is brought to bear on its opposite end to be moved downward toward the body portion 1 to brin the nib 9 into forcible engagement with the end A. The end Bis threaded through the loops 3 and 6 and then knotted to position the knot upon the upper portion of the loop 6. It is apparent that a strain brought to bear on the end B will cause the clamping-lever to move downward and bring the nib 9 into forcible engagement with the end A, whereby the ends of the rope are united against accident. The tension of the clothes-line may be regulated by moving the lever upward, so as to disengage the nib 9 from the end A, and by end A until the proper tension has been ob tained. Immediately after the lever 5 is released the tension of the end B brought to bear thereon will cause the lever to move downwardly and bring the nib 9 into engagement with the end A, and thereby retain the clothes-line at proper tension. It is further apparent that the lever 5 is removably fulcrumed upon the body 1 and that the advantages arising from this is that said lever may be removed to facilitate the application of the end A to the body portion 1 and that said lever may be readily and quickly fulcrumed upon the body portion by merely placing its hooked end 7 under the bridge 4.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of my improved clothes-line will be readily apparent without requiring any further extended explanation.

It will be seen that the device is simple of construction, that said construction permits then movingthe body portion 1 along thev of its manufacture at small cost, and that it is exceedingly well adapted for the purpose for which it is designed.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, as new is A cord clamp comprising a body plate formed in its upper side with a longitudinal groove and provided at one end with a loop, said plate also being provided between its center and opposite end with upright flanges arranged on opposite sides of the contiguous portion of the groove and connected adja cent their outer ends by a transverse arched portion overlying the groove, and a lever member'having one end bent to form a hook, the concaved side of the hook engaging the arched portion and forming a pivoting portion on which the lever is adapted to swing and the concaved side of the hook forming a 

